The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-07-13
i'm THE PENMAN.
A Series Of Forgsriss in the Treasury.
The Remarkable Performances of Clerk
In the "aorss Claims" Department
Arrested and Locked Up.


The story of Jim, the Penman," that
has so interested end excited thousands OF
playgoers in New York and other cities for
msny months. is matched by the story OF
Oscar j. Harvey, clerk OF the Treasury
Department, who was arrested yesterday
at Wilkesbarre, Pa and TO night reflects
uTon his crime In the District Jail, whittier
be was sent in default OF $l2 600 bail
demanded as the condition of his release
pending trial: Harvey's career, or as much
as is known of it, has been that of refined,
far.seeing, ingenious, and yet reckless law
breaker; q man who conceived, developed,
and manipulated almost alone, scheme
for robbing the Government by means OF
absolutely fictitious claims. Harvey de-
termined to be forger. He did not con-
tent himself with forging one name. AT
great risk of early detection, he forged and
fabricated half q dozen signatures and sue
ceeded so well as to secure from Congress
the separate appropriations necessary to
meet the claims which he had construed,
applied for, supplied affidavits to support,
audited, and collected.
Harvey was appointed in 1885. soon
after the new administration came IN,
through the influence of Mr.. W. K Smith,
who had been Harvey's clsssmste in col
lege. At the time of his appointment Wig
orous protests were made against him by
him Republican, and by Representative
Randall, who preferred some one else. Mr..
Smith won in the triangular fight, and Mr..
I arvey was made chief of the horse
claims" division in the Auditors Off 20.
Harvey made an admirable clerk He was
bright, attentive, systematic, and rapid In
the dispatch of business. He not only
made friends in the department above and
below him, but he gathered about him
osr oIo ~ al uh
with enthusiasm OF his charming home on
Capitol Hill. where in the midst of ele-
cant surroundings and assisted Dv beau.
tiful wife he maintain ed degree of bospi-
tality far beyond his salary of s., 600. 1t
was supposed that he was a man of indie
pendent income, who had entered the
Government service 10 preference to the
quiet of commercial business at Wilkes
barre. He gave good dinners, had hne
rictures, which he had selected in New
York, and with a charmingly agreeable adj
dress so impressed Mr.. Fairchild and Mr..
Maynard that they regarded him as one OF
the best men in the service.
Soon after Mr.sMsyDard left the office OF
Second Controller and went into the Office
of Assistant Secretary a vacancy occurred
in the Second Controllers Office. In cast
ing about for a man to put into the place,
Mr.. Harvey was singled out as Just the
about fortnight ago, and Mr.. Brown, of
Indiana, was picked out by Third Auditor
Williams to take Hsrvey's place. Mr..
Brown is keen enough man, for he soon
made a discovery fatal to Harvey. In
looking over the papers in the Office he
came across one upon which a sum had
been recovered for the loss of q horse. He
noticed by the merest accident that while
the body of the affidavit gave the name of
~
that of Lambert. Assuming that the
claimant knew his own name better than
the man who made out the application,
but desiring to learn which was right, he
sent to the War Department for the records
Of Lamont and Lambert, giving the name
of the Pennsy wanna regiment to which the
man belonged. 1t turned out that there
was 10 man named Lambert in the regi-
ment, but there was Lamont, and further
examination showing that the claim had
been paid TO Lamont, instead of Lambert,
excited suspicion.
Ii did not take long to unfold an elabor-
ate and ingenious system of forgery. Har-
vey had plainly become possessed of the
history of many Pennsylvania soldiers.
With this beginning he had upon forms
printed for himself, in imitation OF those
used and printed by the Government, made
out the application in feigned hand. To
the affidavit accompanying this applica-
tion he forged or fabricated the signature
of the applicant. To comply with the law.
ne also fabricated two more signatures OF
persons identifying the applicant, and COM
pleted the affidavit by attaching the attest
alton and signature, together with the seal
of a notary public. The applications were
all sent in by w. w. Wynne, an attorney,
Wynne being creature of Hsrvey's imag-
nation. BE provided himself with receipt
lamps showing the reception of the claim
at the Quartermaster.G office. In
addition to this, he furnished the stamp s
to show the claim had been received By the
third auditor from the Quartermaster-Gen-
eral, End another stamp to record referen CO
to his own division. But the work of fall
styling was far from complete at this stage.
Having the history of each false claim in
his possession he pretended to call upon
the second auditor Tor the record of the ap-
plicant, and forged the signature Of that
officer to the certificate of the record which
Harvey himself supplied. With forger
after forgery he perfected the papers, which
were all in such apparently complete form
that they were signed by the third auditor
and the second controller, and upon them,
| the Forty-ninth Congress, at its first ses
| slon. appropriated about IS, 900 to meet the
| exIense allowed.
IL still remained for Harvey to get the
money. His genius comprised that diff
| Guilty easily enough. The check for each
| Of the claimants was made out to the order
| of the claimant. Harvey not only fabrl
| Gated the endorsement of the claimant, bui
| to avoid the embarrassment that would bs
caused by the necessity of producing hin
| be endorsed each check himself, and de
| posted part of the proceeds of the check
so endorsed in one bank here and another
in New York, in which his wife had an &C
/ count.
Much Of this information was brought
out by the help of Chief Brooks, OF the Sc
cret service, who put two detectives O.
| work TO trace the clues. 1t was found tina
| Harvey had a postoffice box for his alleged
attorney, Wynne, here in Washington, anc
another in Philadelphia. In the files wa:
found letter purporting TO have beer
| written by Wynne, complaining that {
number of claims sent to the Quarter
master General had been delayed. Har
| vey had prepared letter to the Quarter
naster-General making Inquiries, and,
/ apparently in answer to il, an envelope
| containing batch of claims had been sen
| to the third auditor and referred to Har
/ vey. This course had been adopted to &C
| count for the receipt of q large number o.
claims at one time. In Harvey's posses
sion were bills amounting to about $10,0 0t
for pictures, furniture and other thing
supplied to him since he came to Washing
ton.
With the proof OF his forgeries amount